Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (1746-1828) was one of the most influential painters and printmakers of his time, bridging the style of the Old Masters with modernism.

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) was one of the most famous and prolific artists of the 20th century – if not of all time.

Salvador Dalí (1904-1989) was probably the best known surrealist, even after he broke with their ranks in 1939. He'll always be remembered as an art provocateur – and for that crazy, long moustache.

Through Jan. 6, Muzeo in Anaheim is presenting "Spanish Masters: Goya Picasso Dalí." The exhibition of prints, etchings and lithographs includes a complete set of Goya's famed "Los Caprichos," Picasso's "Etchings of Love and Desire" made mostly in 1968, and 60 authenticated hand-signed Dalí lithographs. Most of the lithographs come from the Salvador Dalí Gallery in San Juan Capistrano.

Taken all together, "Spanish Masters" is an exhaustive, occasionally repetitive and generally engaging show of prints and reproductions – which, it should be noted, are not as rare or expensive as original artworks.

GOYA

The "Los Caprichos" etchings are an early first edition organized by Landau Traveling Exhibitions, based in Los Angeles. According to Landau's website, this set of 80 etchings was one of four "Los Caprichos" sets acquired by the Duke of Osuna from Goya around 1799.

The provenance of these etchings appears to be well documented and very respectable. Incidentally, Cal State Fullerton's Main Art Gallery (now Begovich Gallery) exhibited this same set of "Los Caprichos" in November and December of 2008.

"Los Caprichos" literally means the whims, the fantasies, or the passing fancies. But Goya meant for these etchings to illustrate the foibles, follies and vices of human society.

The etchings really do capture Goya's social commentary, but the contemporary American viewer needs to pause and study some of them to get their deeper message. Curator Robert Flynn Johnson provides some insightful interpretations in the didactics, or text panels, as well as the official Prado Museum and "Ayala" commentaries, named after dramatist Adelardo López de Ayala.

Highlights include "The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters," the most famous of the "Caprichos" images; "To Rise and To Fall," which tells a little tale of lust, fortune and failure; "They Carried Her Off!" and "They Spruce Themselves Up," which depicts goblins cutting each other's toenails.

The "Caprichos" seem to get darker and more macabre the further you get into the collection. A handful of "Caprichos" that depict witches, hobgoblins or other monsters are richly imagined and very appropriate for Halloween or Day of the Dead.

This collection of "Caprichos" also contains modern and contemporary interpretations done by Edward Hagedorn and Enrique Chagoya, respectively. One can see through their work how immensely "Los Caprichos" has influenced artists through the generations. Chagoya's 1999 version cleverly replaces Goya's owls with the silhouettes of jets and missiles.

"The Chemist," a 1980 lithograph, edition 10 of 75, by Salvador Dali. On view at Muzeo, Oct. 14-Jan. 6. COURTESY OF MUZEO
"Lady Blue," a 1979 lithograph by Salvador Dalí. This print is edition number 20 out of 65, and it's on view at Muzeo through Jan. 6. COURTESY OF MUZEO
"Francisco Goya y Lucientes, Pintor," Plate 1 from "Los Caprichos" (1799) by Francisco de Goya. On view at Muzeo through Jan. 6. COURTESY OF MUZEO
"The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters," a circa 1797 etching by Francisco Jose de Goya y Lucientes. On view at Muzeo through Jan. 6. COURTESY OF MUZEO
"Gala's Bouquet," a 1952 lithograph by Salvador Dalí. This is number 154 out of 350 in the series. On view at Muzeo through Jan. 6. COURTESY OF MUZEO
"Barbu au Chapeau Orne d'un Grelot," 1968, Mougins, France by Pablo Picasso. This etching depicts a charming man in traditional European attire, wearing a hat with a bell. On view at Muzeo through Jan. 6. COURTESY OF MUZEO
"Se Repulen (They Spruce Themselves Up)," a 1799 print by Francisco Goya, part of his "Los Caprichos" series. On view at Muzeo, part of "Spanish Masters: Goya Picasso Dali," Oct. 14-Jan. 6. IMAGE COURTESY OF MUZEO
"Un Dejeuner sur l'Herbe Rembranesque, avec Maja et Celestine" by Pablo Picasso, from the 347 Series, July 20, 1968, Mougins, France. This aquatint is on view at Muzeo in Anaheim through Jan. 6. COURTESY OF MUZEO
"Asta su abuelo (As far back as his grandfather)," Plate 39 from Los Caprichos (Caprices, 1797-98, published 1799) by Francisco Goya. On view at Muzeo, part of "Spanish Masters: Goya Picasso Dali," through Jan. 6. IMAGE COURTESY OF MUZEO; TEXT BY RICHARD CHANG, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
"Jeune Prostitutee et Viellard aux Yeux Exorbites" by Pablo Picasso, from the 347 Series, Aug. 10, 1968, Mougins, France. This etching is on view at Muzeo in Anaheim through Jan. 6. COURTESY OF MUZEO
"Fille au Bracelet, avec Degas les Mains dans le Dos" by Pablo Picasso. From the 156 Series, 30 March, 1971. This etching is on view at Muzeo in Anaheim through Jan. 6. COURTESY OF MUZEO
"The Persistence of Memory," a circa oil 1931 painting by Salvador Dali. Muzeo in Anaheim advertises this image in nearly all its promotional materials, but it is not part of "Spanish Masters: Goya Picasso Dali," which runs through Jan. 6. IMAGE COURTESY OF MUZEO

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